The Livingston Post is profiling cast members of the Community Theatre of Howell’s production of “Elf Jr. – The Musical,” which runs Dec. 10-12 and 17-19 at the Howell High School Freshman Campus.
Based on the widely popular Will Ferrell film, the hilarious musical tells the tale of Buddy the Elf, who leaves Santa Claus and his adopted family at the North Pole to search for his biological dad and search for his true identity in New York City.
The show is directed by Kevin Rogers and produced by Theresia Rogers. The production staff includes Tracey Pasfield (assistant director), Heather Douglas (assistant producer), Anni Ulman (choreographer), Chrissy Griffon (vocal director), Chris Clinton-Cali (costumer) and Brian Bickel (tech director).
In this story, we feature Aurorah French, a third-grader at Southwest Elementary School in Howell who plays Tiara the elf.
Aurorah lives in Howell with her parents Kyle and Tanya French and her brother Elijah, who plays Fake Santa Fred in this show and is also very involved with CTH.
What previous stage experience have you had?
I have had roles in summer camp shows (First Mate in “Pirates Past Noon” and Young Kangaroo in “Suessical Jr.”) as well as roles as an orphan in “Annie” in the fall of 2019), a wood nymph in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (Spring 2020, not able to perform due to COVID shut down one week before Opening Night), Williamson (a lawyer elf) in “Santa’s Zombie Apocalypse” (February 2021).
What do you enjoy about the Community Theatre of Howell?
What I enjoy is that I get to do one of the things that I really love which is theatre. I love theatre because it is a way to express yourself through a character. Your character is yours.
Another thing I love about the Community Theatre of Howell is that I get to hang out with my theatre friends. CTH is special because there are a lot of people that I have met. CTH is like one big family that everyone is allowed to join!
What do you like about playing this role in the play?
One of the things I like about playing Tiara the elf is that I have a really fun role. I have a really fun interaction with Buddy that kick starts a big part of the story. Another thing I like about being Tiara is that I get to spend time with the other elves.
What can the audience expect with “Elf Jr.”?
The audience can expect a lot of laughs and a lot of “dad jokes”, that is for sure! They can expect some really good songs and dances, and a really nice story line.
After the show, I think the audience will feel very warm and fuzzy on the inside. I personally think that this show will be a really good one and I really hope that the audience loves it because we think the show will be packed!
The Community Theatre of Howell is presenting “Elf Jr. – The Musical” at the Howell High School Freshman Campus, 1400 W. Grand River Ave., Howell. Shows are Dec. 10-12 and 17-19, with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available by clicking here.
